Consumers nationwide now have another tool to block identity thieves intent on saddling victims with their debts.

Known as a “security freeze,” the method shuts down all access to consumer credit files, effectively preventing anyone from obtaining credit in a consumer’s name. Companies checking on a frozen credit file for a new account can only do so with the consumer’s permission.

Though nearly every state already allowed consumers to seal their files – Colorado’s law became effective in July 2006 – many limited the practice to identity-theft victims. Colorado’s law allowed any consumer to do so.

Eleven states had no credit freeze laws at all, leaving consumers in the lurch.

That changed Nov. 1 when the nation’s three credit-reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – began allowing anyone to freeze their reports regardless of state law limitations, though many have to pay a fee.

“Consumers calling for fraud-victim assistance asked if there was anything they could do that was more restrictive,” said Stephen Katz, spokesman for TransUnion, the first of the three agencies to allow universal access to freezing. “We’re trying to give people the choice to take the precautionary step that’s best suited to their circumstance.”

That’s an important distinction, since the agencies won’t say if it’s a good idea or not. They will say that unless a consumer is already a victim of identity theft or feels their personal information can be easily compromised, freezing a credit file may not be the right step.

“If the expectation is to prevent ID theft, it’s not a good reason alone,” Experian spokesman Rod Griffin said. “But if you’re concerned someone is opening credit in your name, it makes sense. It won’t protect your credit rating, but if you have no issues with fraud, why would you want to freeze the file?”

Strangely, not many Americans have used the freeze option. The three agencies estimate that between them, about 60,000 to 75,000 files have been frozen since the first state laws went into effect in 2003.

With more than 10 million identity-theft victims, experts are uncertain why there haven’t been more freezes.

Part of it may be that consumers didn’t know they could control access to their credit files. That’s starting to change.

“The advent of the Internet has brought a lot of opportunities for consumers to learn more about their credit report and to give them a better understanding of how to protect themselves,” said David Rubinger, a spokesman for Equifax.

While freezing a credit file will prevent anyone from garnering new credit accounts from companies that check a consumer’s financial background, it only works if the credit reporting agencies are contacted. Similarly, it doesn’t prevent companies that have a pre-existing relationship with a consumer, such as a credit- card issuer or bank lienholder, from gaining access without a consumer’s knowledge.

More important, experts say, freezing a file should not be a substitute for vigilantly protecting personal information.

“Freezing a file is the 80-pound sledgehammer and might not be right for everyone,” Griffin said. “It could cause some inconveniences and problems you might not have considered.”

One example: applying for “instant credit” to take advantage of a store discount. A frozen file would prevent that.

Generally, a freeze costs nothing, but it’s important to make the request in writing and to all three credit bureaus. Once a freeze is in place, the consumer is the only one with the authority to lift, or “thaw,” it temporarily, and that costs $10. Subsequent freezes also cost $10 each.

A thaw allows the consumer to designate certain companies specific access, such as a bank for a new loan or credit card, even auto insurance companies who use credit scores to determine rates. By using a personal identification number or PIN provided by a bureau, consumers can access their account and designate certain companies for short-term access. The PINs cannot be changed, and consumers with freezes at all three bureaus will have three separate PINs to remember.

“Freezing makes sense if you don’t apply for credit a lot, but you should plan ahead,” said Kim McGrigg, spokeswoman for Consumer Credit Counseling Services in Denver. “If you plan to buy a house or a car, you might want to be sure the freeze is thawed for your shopping.”

Minus a freeze, consumers can still put free fraud alerts into their file. These 90-day, renewable warnings say that credit-application information should be double-checked and verified.

David is a member of the Investigations Team and has been at The Denver Post since 1999. He was a founding member of the team before moving on to cover banking, finance, human services, consumer affairs, and business investigations. He has also worked at newspapers in New York, St. Louis and Detroit over a 35-year career.

AirPods have become a rare public misstep for Apple. In September, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller hailed the earbuds as the entree to a wireless future, with seamless connection to an iPhone and a five-hour battery life.

The brokerage industry’s self-regulator has asked employees fired by Wells Fargo & Co. and stripped of their securities registrations to come forward if they have concerns over their treatment, the latest sign of growing scrutiny on the bank.

Ford Motor Co. is going ahead with plans to move small-car production from the U.S. to Mexico despite President-elect Donald Trump’s recent threats to impose tariffs on companies that move work abroad.